Tag Archives: running

Runners giving back: Medals4Mettle

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The running community is a strong and rowdy bunch. There’s a certain level of insanity the comes along with runners, people who choose to spend much of their free time running long distances for the love of the sport and achieving the impossible (with a side of bragging rights and medals sometimes thrown in for good measure).

After an event like the one at the Boston Marathon, there’s a certain sense of helplessness that hits us. We are doers, movers and shakers, so to do nothing is not an option.

Since Monday’s tragedy, we’ve participated in reflection runs; we’ve worn the Boston Marathon colors of blue and gold; we’ve donned race shirts from any and all events; we’ve prayed for the victims, first responders, runners and the city of Boston.

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And we’re still left asking, What else is there? What more can we do to show support, solidity and love?

Well, friends, might I offer up Medals4Mettle?

met·tle  /ˈmetl/ Noun
A person’s ability to cope well with difficulties or to face a demanding situation in a spirited and resilient way.

In May 2005, Dr. Steven Isenberg gave his own Chicago Marathon medal to his patient, Les Taylor, who was battling prostate cancer. Before his death, Taylor told Dr. Isenberg just how much the medal meant to him.

From that seed Medals4Mettle blossomed. I first heard about Medals4Mettle, or M4M, last year when I began running races.

Currently M4M is collecting Boston Marathon medals from any year to give to Monday’s victims and first responders.

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For those who haven’t run the Boston Marathon, M4M will gratefully accept all donations of hard-earned half marathon, full marathon or triathlon medals to those battling life-threatening illnesses and severe disabilities.

“Think about when you are out on a course, and you have dozens to hundreds of people you don’t know who are cheering you on, and want to see you succeed and get to the finish line,” said Andrea Herrmann of M4M.  “This is our chance to return this encouragement to others, and to celebrate their strength in dealing with their health struggles, cheering them to their personal finish lines.”

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Directors and chapter coordinators are all volunteers at M4M. I reached out to my local chapter coordinator, Reed Costello, who said that his responsibilities include local awareness and collecting/passing medals along to the area coordinator who then distributes them to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The children love receiving the medals and the runDisney medals are among the favorites; many wear the donated medals to chemo treatment or hang them from their IV pole.

A selfless way to lift someone’s spirits and give back, Medals4Mettle is a non-profit organization that assists runners and athletes in doing just that.

Have you ever given your race medal to someone else? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Reflection run

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Some fought back tears. Others hugged. Everyone hit the pavement.

Several dozen runners gathered in suburban Rochester Tuesday evening and together ran in memory of the bombings that interrupted the Boston Marathon Monday afternoon, killing three and injuring more than 170 others.

“We are runners, we are strong,” said Ellen Brenner co-owner of Fleet Feet Sports in Brighton.

Before we hit the road, Brenner thanked the group for their love and support of  Rochester’s running community — and each other. One local Boston Marathoner, Malcolm Bugler of Henrietta, also spoke of Monday’s events.

“It’s only just sinking in now, the enormity of the thing that happened,” he said. “Running is a celebration of what you can achieve…to have that challenged is just unthinkable.”

Typically, we run hills on Tuesday evenings. Instead, we ran an altered “happy hour” loop of 4.09 miles, which was the time on the race clock when the first explosion went off.

We ran through a drizzle, many wearing Boston’s blue and yellow or race shirts or jackets. We were together. We were one. We were strong. We are runners.

Click here for a video of the memorial run by my colleague Kris Murante.

Our hearts are with you, Boston

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It’s hard to find words for what happened at the finish line of the Boston Marathon yesterday. When unspeakable, senseless acts like this happen, most of us can think of only one word: why?

The truth is, even if and when the person or people responsible for this are apprehended, even after a motive is revealed and justice is served, there will be no good answer to that question. How do you even begin to process the reason behind the destruction brought down on what was supposed to be a joyful event, where people were injured and killed simply because they were there to run or to cheer on their loved one as they crossed the finish line?

There will never be an answer for that kind of blind hatred.

But what we’ve seen time and time again is that goodness will always blot out the bad. In all of the horrific footage, the awful news stories that seemed to flow out endlessly through various social media platforms, there were these stories: people running to help the injured, to hold hands and offer reassurance; a Google spreadsheet that popped up online, filled with names and numbers and addresses, temporary homes for those displaced by what happened; a couple that had run the marathon, only to get married hours later.

These are the moments that invariably always rise to the surface, because good will always counteract the bad. Love will always trump hate. It is so much bigger.

We love you, Boston, and our hearts are with you.

Race rewind – runDisney’s Castaway Cay 5k

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Free… for the mere price of a cruise!

Last summer my family and I took a week cruise on the Disney Magic. I’d heard about the Castaway Cay 5k for months prior and on Tuesday, June 26th 2012, I got to experience it firsthand.

Disney owns its very own Bahamian island, Castaway Cay and it’s absolutely beautiful. However, that day, Tropical Storm Debby was brewing and decided to take aim.  I, along with the other runners (I’d guess there were about 35 of us), got hit about ten minutes into our run.

The group of us met in one of the bars at 8:30ish and got our bib numbers.  You could tell that everyone was sizing each other up until we all realized that we were just doing this for kicks.  (Or at least I was… I don’t really know what the other people were doing it for.  The plastic medal?  The glory?)

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The sun was still shining at this point but if you look off in the distance, you can see the clouds rolling in.

My plan for this 5k was to take it nice and easy and take pictures along the route.  That lasted for those first ten minutes.  We took a tram out to the start of the 5k; Everyone was in good spirits and chatty the entire ride.

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Soon after I took this picture, the skies above looked ominous.  Dark clouds came barreling toward us and started pelting us with hail.  That was about the time I decided to stash my phone in my SPIbelt and press on.  The route isn’t all that exciting anyway; past the watch tower, out and back near the airstrip, the watch tower loop AGAIN, and then the finish.

I fried the backlight in my nano.  Boo!  Wound up finishing in about 35 minutes (that’s with stops along the way).  Made friends with the kid running near me, we played cat and mouse the entire run.  And at the end I joined a woman that was ahead of me and we finished up together.  She was training for that year’s Tower of Terror 10 miler.

I have to admit, I felt pretty bad ass running in HAIL.  I mean, yes, I ruined my nano and I was soaked to the bone… but hey, now I can say that I’ve experienced that, right?  Who’s drinking from the half full glass?  That would be me!

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You might not be able to tell from the picture but I was soaked, head to toe!

A few nights later I came back to my stateroom to find a “magical moment” certificate (with my name spelled incorrectly – Womp! My parents had to go the different route with it and I’m “paying” for it ever since).

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Have you ever ran in the Bahamas or any other island? In hail or a Tropical Storm? Have you broken an electronic device during a run? (I’m still bummed about that, nearly a year later.)

Back in the Saddle Again-ish

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Here’s how I imagined it: I’d lace up my sneaks, head outside, warm up with a brisk walk and then get to jogging. Maybe I’d do a twelve-minute mile, work up to my pre-pregnancy 10:30 average, and come back home feeling accomplished and limber.

Look at me, world, I’m a runner again!

Er, yeah.

Here’s how my first post-baby attempt at running went: I laced up my sneaks, headed outside, walked for five minutes (look at me, world, I’m a runner again!), attempted to run for sixty seconds and had to stop because I was pretty sure if I didn’t that I was going to fall over.

Let me repeat – I attempted to run for SIXTY SECONDS.

I limped back to my building, dragged myself up to the apartment – in the elevator, of course – and tried not to throw my iPod at Mister Jess’s face when he said, “You’re back already?”

World, I am not a runner. I am not even much of a walker right now. I’m not sure which hurts worse, the stitch in my side or my pride, but they are both rather pained at the moment.

Me and running during happier times.

Me and running during happier times.

Have I underestimated the havoc pregnancy wreaks on the body? Sure, it’s been a good nine months since I’ve even thought about running, but shouldn’t it be like riding a bike? Shouldn’t the memory of running kick in? “Hey, I remember this! Let’s go, Jess, weeeeeeeee.”

Guess not, because my body remembers nothing about running: not how to do it, nor that at one point we kind of liked it. And though I have a good excuse for being out of shape, part of me can’t help but be a little POed at my body for failing me this way. I don’t think I’m expecting too much from it to run for sixty seconds without crying “Uncle.”

That’s the drill sergeant part of me, though (which has gotten bigger since I became a mom. Coincidence?). The kinder, more understanding me realizes that it will take time to get back to where I was before. And maybe I never will get back to where I was before.

That’s one of the lessons of parenthood: everything changes. It’s impossible to get back to the life you had before your little bundle of everything entered the world. So you adjust, and along the way you occasionally mourn The Way Things Were, because now sleeping in means 7AM instead of 10, and weeknights are for feeding and bottle-washing and wrangling your kiddo to sleep instead of sprawling out on the couch and watching “The Voice.”

With all of that in mind, I’m going to approach my return to running in the same way. I’m going to adjust. I’m going to give myself some slack, remember that my body did some pretty crazy things not too long ago and this is its way of saying, “Hey, lady, I need some time.”

And if my husband ever says, “You’re back already?” after a run again, I really am going to throw my iPod at his head.

Have you ever had to start training all over again? Give me some tips (and encouragement, please!) in the comments. 

DO AC: 2013 April Fool’s half marathon

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Last year I ran the inaugural Atlantic City April Fool’s half marathon to ring in my 35th year. This year’s race wasn’t on my birthday (since April 1st was on a Monday) but when my friends started floating the idea of running, I jumped on board. After all, I almost view this race as “mine” since it’s an homage to my birthday and one that I’ll return to year after year.

Packet pick-up was quick and easy and laid-back.  In fact, this entire race is very laid-back with the added bonus of being extremely well-organized, two things that you don’t often see paired together when it comes to racing. There is no expo; the packet pick-up took place in the host resort, which was Revel this year.

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Dorothy and Jody warming up by the fire pit at Revel.

Revel is AC’s brand new resort and casino and is absolutely gorgeous, albeit a bit confusing to navigate. Thankfully they have staff everywhere to point you in the right direction so you don’t wander aimlessly for too long.

However, AC is still AC and most people there are in “party” mode, not “sleeping and running a race” mode. Which means the clientele of the resort included a drunk dude wandering the halls at 4am, knocking on doors and shouting for “Blair” on Friday night (hope you found her eventually, man) and the party people who decided to stay in and celebrate someone’s 30th birthday with shots and singing at the top at their lungs rather than paying $12 for drinks… until 3:30 in the morning.

Next year? I’m sleeping at home and driving the hour. Hold me to this, please. Early wake up is better than no waking up because I never actually slept.

Going into a half marathon on a small amount of sleep isn’t the best way to do things but alas, that’s how it played out. My suggestion to an AC hotel hosting runners for an event would be to put them all in the same area.

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We fueled with wheat bagel flats and almond butter/peanut butter, dressed, and joined the other runners (and partiers who apparently never went to sleep the night before) in the front vestibule.

Approximately 2,000 runners participated in the half marathon, with the 7k/11k races being held on Saturday morning. This was a change from the 2012 races, as all races were all held on the same day. Not going to lie, we were a bit bummed about the change but the race directors were very good at compensating the runners who were affected by the change. Jody ran the 7k on Saturday morning, while Moe, Dorothy and myself were ready to take on 13.1 miles.

We headed outside into the chilly morning air around 7:45, with the race beginning at 8am. At the start we were able to find our friends Rob, Brandi, and Sean – all of whom were running as well!

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Starting promptly, we were off, down the boards. After a quarter mile, I realized that in the pre-race excitement I’d forgotten to start my Garmin so I’d be flying solo on that level – I was upset for about a hot second but realized that I’d just have to let it go. Sidenote: I got a Garmin and Road ID tan on my arms during this race.  Time to break out the sunscreen!

It began to warm as we made our way down the boards and the smell of the ocean air was invigorating.  Moe and I fell into a nice comfortable pace, hanging out side by side and occasionally knocking into each other while dancing to our own iPods.

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Who has two thumbs and a flying ponytail? Moe!

Around mile 4 my feet started giving me issues with my toes curling a bit, which didn’t feel so fantastic so I walked a couple of seconds.  That didn’t help so I started running again.  This is also about the time that we saw the winner of the race headed back to the finish. Always impressive!

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And then, there are people like this.  These dudes ran like this for the entire race and ran the race in two hours.  More power to you, horse and horse rider! (Horse dude kept his head on the entire time.  Crazy!)

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See that little turn there – right before mile 5?  That’s when we took the streets.  And that’s when I knew I’d be hurting a bit.  WHERE IS MY BOARDWALK?  Couldn’t we have made it longer? However, I knew Lucy was ahead and I was very much looking forward to seeing the elephant.

“The elephant???” You might ask.  Oh yes, the elephant.

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What, this isn’t normally what you see when you race? (Check out other random things seen on runs at OliveToRun’s How Bizarre Photos!)

Eventually we hit the 7 mile mark which meant it was time to turn around and hit the reverse button! I swung around the flag (not literally) and off we went, back where we came from. The street seemed to expand and getting back to the boards took way longer than I anticipated. Finally Moe pulled to the side where she could look ahead and see the cones turn – we were nearly back on the boardwalk. Huzzah!

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Since I didn’t have my Garmin, I lost mile 9.  For all of mile 9, I thought I was in mile 10… Until I saw the flag marker that said 10 and nearly cried because I so desperately wanted it to say 11.  Alas, it did not.

This is why we can’t have nice things.

And right around then was when I felt the blister forming and I was just ready to be done.  3.1 miles to go – a 5k! Then I looked up and saw this…

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And remembered how blessed I was to be in that moment.

The water stations were phenomenal and it definitely makes up for the lack of crowd support because they are like a cheer station unto themselves. The volunteers are incredible with this race, always with a smile and making you laughing by fighting over whose water or Gatorade you’d take.

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There are also a couple of bands and DJs along the route as well,  so when I saw those I’d take my yurbuds out to jam with them for a couple of seconds.

The last two miles I was speed walking more than running and a one point Moe turned around to see where I was.  I waved her on and told her, “keep moving THAT way” and off she went. I could see her pink hat bopping along ahead and that gave me the motivation I needed to stay strong and keep moving toward the finish line.

I passed where the finish line was the previous year and was sad that it wasn’t actually there again this year because that would mean I’d be done.  At that point, there was a little over a mile left. The boardwalk started having more people milling around, which is difficult because at that point instead of bobbing and weaving around other runners, you’re moving around people who don’t have a clue that a race is going on. I just kept moving forward, alternating between a run/walk and pushing as much as possible.

And just like that, I saw the finish line in the distance. I heard cheers of people as I drew closer and I pushed myself to sprint those last few minutes, thanks to some very sweet ladies from Black Girls Run giving me some special cheers.

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I asked someone if I could borrow her sign so Dorothy and I could get a picture with it. Don’t believe it though – we’re definitely more like 3/4th crazy.

I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face, having attained a personal record! I’m not a fast runner and I may never BE a fast runner, but I bested myself on Sunday… and that felt damn good (even if my feet didn’t and don’t)!

I’m already looking to sign up for next year’s April Fool’s half.

Is there a race that you return to time and time again? What is it that keeps you coming back?

Rural run through Amish country

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I went home to rural Lancaster County over the weekend, where I ran one of the most beautiful race courses I’ve yet to see.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania is Amish country. Home to many in the Pennsylvania Dutch Amish and Mennonite community. Many in the county’s Amish community love to run and are quite fast. I am familiar with the Anabaptist community, as I grew up in the area and regularly visit my parents, who still live in Lancaster.

The annual Garden Spot Village Marathon was filled with such runners. Some of the men ran in their plain clothes and women ran in dresses. I also spotted some incredibly speedy Amish kids. It was a pretty impressive sight.

This race was different from any I’d run before. First off, it was on a Saturday morning, this is in part because Sunday is a day of rest for Amish and Old Order Mennonites.

Since I worked a full day before making the five-hour drive south, my mother graciously offered to collect my race packet from the expo in New Holland, Pa. (Thanks, Mom!) Race officials offered packet pickup Saturday morning, for about 90 minutes before the race. I loved knowing this was an option, as did the more than 700 runners who weren’t able to attend the Friday evening expo.

I gathered my race gear Friday evening, including my trusty roller, The Stick. I knew my quads would be sore since I raced a hilly 15K last weekend. I had looked at Garden Spot’s elevation chart — hills were definitely par for the course.

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Ready to roll!

Race morning went smoothly. We left the house around 6:30 a.m., arriving at the race site shortly after 7. Parking was a breeze. We were directed to a spot in the grass and waited in our car until 30 minutes before the race was slated to begin, 8 a.m.

In less than 20 minutes, I used a toilet twice, located my friend Wendy and lined up at the start. This is one highly organized, user-friendly race.

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Wendy and me at the starting line.

Meet Wendy, a childhood friend who was itching to run her first half-marathon. Together, we selected a race in our hometown as a bit of a homecoming since she moved to South Carolina after high school and I’m in upstate New York. Her older brother Eric and her nephew Nate joined us.

Soon enough, we were off. We lost the guys within 30 seconds. Side note – Nate, 12, won his age group with a time of 1:51. So impressive!

Wendy and I settled in for a much slower pace, we ran out of the village, along East Earl Road, then Stauffer Road. We hit a few small hills as we rounded the corners. And we repeatedly dodged road apples (horse manure) left behind on rural roads.

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Beautiful course. Note the woman on the right running in a dress.

We chatted with each other and strangers as we jogged along. We were happy with our pace, even as we took on the hills.

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We passed several Amish buggies on the course. We also had a rather large cheering squad of Amish and Mennonite kids, many who sat on their porches and waved to runners. Some sat on blankets and wagons in their yards. All appeared to be excited to see the parade of runners.

Around mile 4, we headed up a rather significant hill that passed by the horse auction. Amish and Mennonite men and women were lined up for the weekly event, barbeque cooking on the old pits. Some horses hitched to buggies and carts appeared to be circling a fenced course, as if they were racing. It was a scene from yesteryear.

Eventually we turned off Hill Road to Steep Hill Road. (I kid about the name, but it would have been appropriate.) We headed downhill past more buggies and fans. And then we hit THE HILL. We knew it existed, but seeing it in person still shocked us.

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Heading down the Mentzer Road hill in mile 6.

We slowed WAY down to avoid tumbling. We ran well past mile 7 to the turnaround point and straight into the wind, and ultimately, back up this evil hill.

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It may not look incredibly steep, but trust me, it was. 100+ feet straight up just past mile 8, followed by another 100-foot incline back on Steep Hill Road. A cow in a nearby field urged us on: “Mooooo-ve!” I heard.

We huffed. We puffed. But we made it.

We reversed the route, back past the horse auction and downhill (hooray) until the last 5K. We turned off on Overly Grove Road, past a park and more farms and hoofed it into the finish.

Wendy was beginning to fade a bit during that last mile, but considering the hills we had conquered, her movement was impressive. She had not walked once. She pushed forward through the wind and hills. She didn’t quit and we passed several runners that last mile as we moved forward.

Then we turned into the village campus.

“Where’s the finish line? I don’t see it,” Wendy said.

“Ahead,” I promised. “Less than 2 minutes to go. It’s just you and me out for a run. Ignore everyone else.”

About 90 seconds later, we rounded the last bend to the finish line. I spotted my mom as she yelled our names. We sprinted it in, finishing around 2:12. Excellent job Wendy!

We reunited with our families within minutes, grabbed some delicious homemade post-race food.

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There is a second Amish Country race in Lancaster County – the Bird-in-Hand half marathon in September. I have a feeling I will be back.

What’s the most beautiful race course you have run? Have you ever run among the Amish?

Don’t Call It A Dreadmill

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Have you ever checked out the #whereirun photos on instagram? You can see some breathtaking images from runners across the globe. Sneaker tracks on a thick bed of snow, pink and orange sunsets, lush green trails…you get the picture. (Haha. Sorry, I had to. But seriously, go get the pictures. Find the tag on instagram.)

What you won’t find though, are any of my running photos. Because where I run, it looks like this:

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Picturesque, right? Or not.

And I’m okay with that. I actually love the treadmill. And not just because I get to look at this guy for most of my runs.

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Here’s why:

  • The treadmill is easy. I like that I can hop on, set my pace and get to work.
  • It’s safe. I don’t have to keep my music low (or off) so I can hear oncoming cars or people, and I don’t have to think about why I need to use a Road ID.
  • There’s air conditioning. I trained for the majority of my first half-marathon on the treadmill; yes, even some of the long runs. Florida is hot and humid, y’all.
  • The dashboard is great for holding a book. When I was pregnant, I would walk and read for an hour or so every other day. Now I read email during my warm-up.
  • I like the mental quiet. My life is chaotic and most of the time, I’m being pulled in several directions at once. One child is nursing, one wants to paint with watercolors, one wants me to read to her. The dogs want to go outside, the dogs want to come inside. I need to start dinner. I love my crazy house, but sometimes it’s nice to be alone with my thoughts. Or zone out and think of nothing.

Currently, I’m using the treadmill to build up my running base again. I’m not running regularly yet, because we aren’t on a sleep-schedule and the little dude can’t ride in a jogging stroller, so I’m fitting it in when I can. My main post-pregnancy goal was to run for 30 minutes, 3 days a week. My goal now is to run 3-4 miles, 3 days a week. I’m getting there!

Here’s what my treadmill workout looks like right now:

5 minute warm-up
10 minutes at 10 minute mile pace
20 minutes at 9:40 minute mile pace
10 minutes at 10 minute mile pace
5-10 minute cool down

Sometimes, I spend more time at a faster pace, if I feel really good. Other times I spend the entire 40 minutes at 10 minute pace. For now, I’m just taking it slow and trying to get my fitness back.

Where do you run? Treadmill- love it or hate it? What is your running goal right now?

Hilly bliss – Spring Forward Distance Run

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Those hills were going to be the death of me. I knew it from the start.

Early Saturday morning, I arrived at Mendon Ponds Park bright and early, ready to tackle the challenging Spring Forward Distance Run, a hilly and challenging 15K race, hosted by Fleet Feet Rochester and Yellow Jacket Racing.

Along with two friends, Ray and Traci, I parked by Stewart Lodge, near the start and finish lines, more than an hour before our 8:30 a.m. race start. We didn’t want to worry about any parking hassles, so we opted to leave plenty of time. We waited in the still-warm car for much of our pre-race time, and chatted about racing strategies.

Soon enough, we lined up on Douglas Road. Traci opted to run with another mutual friend Jessica and I wished them well. My speedy friend Ray was all set to pace me to a 9-minute-mile race. I was nervous since the last time I ran the course I finished at a 9:30 pace.

But he had faith. As a result, I did too. Besides, I knew what went up would also come down. And I was counting on those downhills to gain some time.

And we’re off! I’m somewhere in there.  Photo courtesy Fleet Feet Rochester.

The first mile was fast. I think we took it out in around an 8:40 pace. I had hoped to keep it around 9, but we were excited and swept up in the crowd. And part of it was downhill.

Ray repeatedly reminded me to breathe deeply on the downhills, something which helped me incredibly. At no point was I gasping for air, thanks to his coaching, I was able to control my breath and run steadily.

We passed running partner Gary’s wife around mile 2.5. She smiled and waved and cheered us along.

Then we rounded a corner near this rather hilly stretch of Rush Mendon Road. It gets me every time. STEEP. Stunning, but STEEP. Ray encouraged me to pump my arms. I did and eventually, we made it to the top.

We passed the 5K mark. I remember looking at my watch to see a 26 minutes and umpteen seconds. I just beat my best 5K race time as part of a 15K race. This was either going to be amazing, or a train wreck.

Soon enough, we turned onto West Bloomfield Road. We passed a woman playing a guitar, which made me smile. Ray chattered on much of the way, sharing stories as I grunted several one-syllable responses. I recall lying about not having Easter plans because “no” was the shortest answer.

Ray continued to remind me to breathe (again, something I wanted to hear) and pointed out some large houses and animals in nearby fields and yards. He repeatedly told me we were on pace for a sub-9-minute-mile race and looking good.

The 10K mark was upon us. I looked at my watch again. I was on 10K PR pace. Nice. And I wasn’t dying. even better!

After hoofing it up a hill between miles 6 and 7, I ate my trusty vanilla bean GU for a bit of sustenance and energy. Ray handed me a water bottle as we rounded a corner onto Canfield Road.

“Look at that nice downhill,” he said. “Focus on your breathing.”

And not the massive hill ahead of it, I thought.

“Run toward small milestones, like that white sign ahead, and that tree over there,” he suggested. I nodded. Good advice.

Ultimately, I lost a bit of time on that last hill but pushed as hard as my legs would allow. I sped up running downhill and soon enough we were back on Douglas Road and rounded the bend toward the finish line.

1:24.10 was my official time, 9:03 pace. I had beaten my own course record by more than 4 minutes. I felt fantastic. And more importantly, those hills didn’t beat me.

Taking on Tink: 3 chicks on the 2013 runDisney Tinker Bell half marathon

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You get three for the price of one with this race report, since chicks Cam, Vic, and Meri all participated in the runDisney Tinkerbell Half Marathon on Jan. 20, the 2nd annual women’s-focused race at the Disneyland Resort.

Backstory and race prep – Meri (not weather!)

Victoria and I planned a trip to visit our long-time bestie in LA and since she’d run the Goofy challenge the previous weekend at Disney World, she figured Tink was a good way to obtain her Coast to Coast medal. Cam lives in CA and when I told her about our plans, she quickly signed up, right before the race sold out in July.

So, what are three ladies to do when they have months before their race? Train? Well, yes, there is that. But almost as important as training, during a runDisney race, you’ve got to have a great costume! Now, let me just say that if I were in charge of costumes… well, I’d have never been in that situation because I’d never take that on. Thankfully for Vic and I, we had Cam! She’s way more crafty that either of us and came up with not only the idea for our costumes but carefully crafted them.

Now, let me just say, I had my doubts when I saw all the pieces of this costume.  I thought that there was NO WAY I’d be keeping the hat on the entire 13.1 miles.  But, oh, I did.

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If you’re not familiar with the Disney classics, we were Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather – the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty.  I was informed that I was Flora and that she’s bossy. Apparently I have a reputation…

Rock. On.

We practiced our poses and took pictures together since Victoria (Fauna) was going to run fast.  And Cam and I?  We were not going to run fast.  Cam was just recovering from a chest cold so our plan was to just take it easy and get done.

The Disney races start early, early, early in the morning.  (yes, three earlies are necessary.) Thankfully our hotel was directly across the street from the start (Best Western Stovell Inn – it was perfect and clean and exactly what we needed).  We woke up at 3:30 and began with the pre-race rituals. Most people who take part in races can tell you that they have a set routine that works for them when getting prepped for a race. And mostly, they overlap with other runners.

We had laid out our outfits the night before, pinned the bibs on the morning of, and proceeded to get ourselves fueled. We’re fans of wheat bagel flats or flatbread and Justin’s nut butter because they come in handy packets that you can purchase wherever and bring along. Portable works well when you’re traveling across the country for a race.

Making last minute adjustments to our costumes (safety pins on the capes rather than the velco), pinning on our bibs, and adjusting hats, wings and double-knotting our laces, we were nearly ready to go!

We bid adieu to Vic as she headed out the door a few minutes before we did. Cam and I wrapped up in the hotel and made our way across the street, found a nice, comfy spot in corral C and waited for the race to begin.

Ready to go!

Fauna flies – Vic’s take

Everyone thought I was Tinkerbell.

I get it. I was a fairy all decked out in green for the Tinkerbell half. But no. I was Fauna and I was going to fly.

I wandered into corral A about 30 minutes before the 5 a.m. race start, chatted with a few fellow runners about race plans and runDisney. Soon enough, we were off.

Within 100 meters my hat was off my head. Near the end of mile 1, I saw a man with a stroller and a toddler in tow and asked him if he’d like a fairy hat. He enthusiastically accepted. We rounded some Anaheim streets and turned into Disney’s California Adventure Park and past a rockin’ high school marching band.

Much of what happened in the parks was a blur – I do know I stopped for dozens of pictures! (here are a few)

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Running through Cars Land

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World of Color by Paradise Pier – WOW!

We soon ran out of  California Adventure, around mile 3, and into Disneyland, where I promptly stopped for a (blurry) pic with Mary Poppins and Burt, snapped another of Tink and one of me on Main Street USA, which is my favorite moment in any Disney race – running down magical Main Street with hundreds of other runners.

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I passed by the castle and headed into Tomorrowland where I saw the Star Wars crew and surrounded by an extremely long line. Sorry Vadar, next time. May the Force be with you.

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Instead I stopped to say hi to Snow White. She wished me as well as I ran into the dark. Side note: my sneakers look filthy.

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I zipped past It’s a Small World, still decked out in Christmas lights and rounded onto the Land’s back lot for the next mile or so. We passed parade floats and broken parts of rides, an animal barn and more. Was able to gain a bit of time here.

We veered back into the park, through Fantasyland and up to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. Ah, how I love running through the castle!

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After pausing for and tweeting a photo (thanks Siri!),  I turned into Frontierland and passed New Orleans Square, where Captain Jack Sparrow was all alone outside the Pirates of the Caribbean, one of my favorite Disney rides.

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Capt. Jack told me to beware because the photographer had a hankering for fairies. So I bolted.

The course took me out of the Land and through Downtown Disney, then past the Disneyland Hotel (and mile 6) and into the streets of Anaheim, where I high-fived a moonwalking Michael Jackson impersonator.

The next few miles were a bit dull, so I concentrated on my breathing and speeding up. As I passed each mile marker, I saw the minutes tick by and I reeled more and more racers in. I dropped my pace below 10-minute miles, then below 9:30, 9:15, 9.

When I rounded a corner at mile 12, directing me back into California Adventure, I really opened up. With my pixie wings, I flew. With half a mile to go, I was down to 8:30 pace and I spotted a familiar face, Laura, from my starting corral. I said hello as I caught her and encouraged her to keep moving. She looked great and was about to CRUSH her goal time of 2:10. I assured her she was well ahead of pace (I knew since we started together) and headed off around the last bend.

I could see the finish! I sprinted through a less-than-exciting parking lot to a rather-thrilling finish! I was all smiles as I crossed the finish line. 2:07:23 Top 10th percent, not too shabby.

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Flora and Merryweather’s journey – Cam’s jam

When my east coast gals sent word they would be traveling to the happiest place on earth for a run, I jumped on board.  As a lifelong Southern California resident and a Disneyland annual pass holder, running 13.1 miles through Disneyland with some of my favorite people dressed as a fairy sounded like a dream come true.

I had booked a handful of races for the end of the year, including a Ragnar Relay race in November to help keep my training on track.  But with the holidays and then a supermassive head and chest cold, I found myself severely under-trained by the time January rolled around.  I was really stressing about this run.  Like nauseated kind of stressing.  But Meri assured me there would be lots of stops and we were running for fun and so I arrived in Anaheim Saturday night to pick up my race paraphernalia and pre-race dine with my chicks.

As already indicated above, we were snazzily dressed and at our respective corrals in the wee, cool hours of the morning.  Like Meri and Vic, I had planned on ditching the removable parts of our costumes, but once we started running, we were inundated with compliments.  I have to say, our costumes were kickass.  And we definitely got noticed!  I really didn’t want to ruin the effect.  So we ran in our hats and wings and capes.  For 13.1 miles.

The first six miles were great.  It didn’t even feel like a race.  We skipped through Disney, danced to great music, stopped to chat up our favorite characters and the air smelled like candy.

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The best part were the spectators.  My favorite was the “Course Liar” who shouted things like “Mickey’s giving massages at the finish” and “You’re almost there” at mile 3.  We high-fived dozens and dozens of the lovely ladies from the Red Hat Society and waved to little girls watching from their living room windows.

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And then there were people like this who made me want to stop and hug them.

After we turned onto the streets, things started to get a little difficult.  Without the magical music and candy air, I was really starting to feel my lack of training.   We got news that Vic was already back at the hotel ice bathing and Meri was quite the trooper, jogging along beside me while I tried to ignore the shooting pain up my knees.  Walking was worse, so I plugged along, moving my feet at an unbearably slow pace that could hardly be considered running.

Meri helped me find other things to occupy my mind.

We posed on corners.

Like taking pictures of Meri flying on street corners.

Or contemplating shopping opportunities.

Around mile 10, my knees really started to become a problem and I started to doubt my ability to finish the race.  I envisioned myself getting picked up by one of those guys on the golf carts.  I was starting to go to that dark place when Meri made a fabulous suggestion.

Biofreeze.

The best thing on the planet.

Look how happy I am!

I had to stop twice to freeze up my knees.  I also had to stop twice in the last 3 miles to use the trusty portable toilets.  I was good and GU‘d up and my digestive system was starting to rebel.  I was dying for that finish line, silently cursing myself for slacking off on training, my stupid cold and my aching knees.  Right as we rounded back into the park, we saw this gentleman running up ahead.

“There will be days when I don’t know if I can do a half marathon. There will be a lifetime knowing I have.” The ‘a’ was crossed out and numbers were added – this was number 20 for him.

When I read the back of his shirt, I lost it.  I know this feeling, it was the same thing I thought when I started running three years ago.  It was the same thing I had thought that very morning, that there was no way in hell I could do this race.  I started bawling like a baby because here I was, even after so many races, still doubting myself.  And then again, here I was, after 13 miles, still running and minutes from the finish.  Meri grabbed my hand and we crossed the line together.

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I had to remove my pointy hat so I could get medaled.

Post ice bath.  Oh, the sweet, sweet glow of victory!

As Vic so graciously dumped buckets of ice into my bath, I vowed never to slack on my training again.  Despite all my bodily malfunctions, I became a huge fan of the Disney race series.  So much so, I’m heading to Florida with the chicks for the Wine and Dine half at Disney World so I can pick up one of those hot little Coast to Coast medals.  We’ve already got costumes in mind!

Have you ever completed a runDisney race?  Will we see you at Wine and Dine?  How do you recover after a race – ice bath, the Stick, or something else?